Experiential and MindfulnessMethod to help you

ABOUT US: Ryan and Jamie

Ryan and Jamie Christiansen have been married for 19 years, have six children and own and operate ABC Counseling Services, Grounded Within and Academic and Behavioral Counseling services in St. George, Utah where they provide mental health services for children, teens and adults. They also write for the SUN Magazine distributed in Washington County and Mesquite, NV. They have presented locally and internationally and provide Mental Health Work through the Reach Out and Learn Foundation.

OUR SERVICES

Customer Satisfaction is Our Priority

TRAUMA

Trauma is a primarily non-verbal experience and is more of a physiological experience. It is a term used to define the emotional, mental, physical and spiritual pain experienced from the unexpected, repeated and hurtful actions.

MENTAL HEALTH

Environment, Genetics, Relationships, Stressors and Traumatic experiences can all affect our emotional and mental health. Everyone is impacted by stressors from each of these variables and many others, but there is effective treatment that can reduce or eliminate many unwanted mental health experiences.

PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS

Problematic behaviors can result from temporary stressors in the life, or they might represent other long term disorders. Problematic Behaviors include diagnostic labels such as ADHD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and even habit forming or addictive behaviors such as Gaming, Gambling, Self-Harm and other behaviors. These are labels for groups of symptoms, but there is always a deeper issue driving the behavior and that is what we address.

BEHAVIORAL CONSULTANT

This Service provide caregivers, individuals, parents, schools etc. with the tools and support they need to achieve positive behavior change

RESOURCES

Find help on our articles, tips and events

13 December 2019

Raising Yourself, Partner, & Children

In couples and family counseling, we are often asked if there is a magic wand or pill to make the changes we want, to manage our spouses changes, or to make our children behave. These questions almost always come when a person is feeling overwhelmed by their emotions and the…

How to Deal with Betrayal

Many have experienced it. Many have made it through. Many are experiencing it now and wondering if they can or ever will make it through. The emotional storm of Betrayal or Relational Trauma is a real thing. The damaging and destructive path always has the same markers. Anxiety over the possibility…

The Power of Words

Over the past few years, bullying has become more prevalent in elementary, junior high, high school, private school and colleges. Programs and educational material have been created or improved to address this behavior in these settings. Unaddressed, this behavior becomes harassment in the workforce and abuse in close relationships. Interestingly, bullying doesn’t just…

Cherishing and being cherished

Summer and holidays often provide opportunities for families to get together. My experiences with family over the course of this Summer, reminded me of some important attachment principles that help us with the little traumas we experience throughout life. I have an uncle who loves to share the funny- no,…

Achieving Stability

One of the oldest pieces of furniture and one too which has been used in countless metaphors is the three-legged stool. It is simple in its design and yet consistent in its stability. Science has been able to prove that the three-legged stool, chair or table is superior to the…

Raising Children and Adolescents

In couples and family counseling, we are sometimes asked if we have a magic wand or pill to make children behave. Many parents feel frustrated and overwhelmed about child rearing from time to time. Although there is no magical answer to changing your child’s behavior, there are some strategies that…

Teaching our Children about Healthy Intimacy

Parents play an integral part in establishing healthy attachment and developing balanced intimacy for our children. According to Walker, Busby, Lovett and Carol, Experts on human intimacy, balanced intimacy is comprised of three dimensions. The first dimension is the Physical Dimension that includes the physiological process that influence satisfaction, pleasure,…

Experience Outside The Box

Think Experience Outside The Box! Our typical experience is that one day rolls into the next, one-month rolls into the next, we blink our eyes and we’re staring down the barrel of another New Year’s Day saying: where the heck did the time go? While shopping recently, this advertisement on…

Handling trauma experiences

Depending on the type of trauma a person has experienced, the following may be excellent resources for working through the effects of trauma: Acupuncture Art & Art Therapy Body/Energy work Ego State and/or Parts and Memory work EMDR Martial Arts (Qi Gong, Tai Chi, etc.) Massage Psychodrama Yoga (Slow and…

A word for you

Closeness, connection and intimacy has very little to do with words or understanding someone and has a lot to do with the energetic, emotional, mirroring and reciprocating responses that communicate synchrony, acceptance and validation. Flat and/or stone-cold facial expressions, verbal threats and violent reactions can easily become the seeds for…

ABC COUNSELING

We are members on good standing in the counseling services industry, and we can be relied on to provide counseling and therapy in accordance with the highest standards of our profession. The very nature of the problems our clients face requires us to treat each of our clients in a highly individualistic way.